Retrograde Amnesia
by Vanessa Gordon
Summary: Robin has an accident.  Now the rest of the Titans have a little, spiky-haired problem.
1. Chapter 1

A sleek blue and white car sped through the streets of Jump City. Inside sat most of the city's band of teenaged superheroes, the Teen Titans. Behind the wheel sat Cyborg, a half-robot nineteen-year-old, and the only one he trusted to drive his 'baby.' In the passenger seat was Raven, the half-demon sixteen-year-old, who had claimed the passenger seat to avoid getting to close to the chaotic energy of Beastboy, a fifteen- year-old changeling, and Starfire, a seventeen year old Tameranian, both of whom occupied the back seat. The sound of a revved engine filled the car, and the fifth and final member of Titans, the fully human seventeen-year-old Robin, pulled up alongside the car on his brightly colored motorcycle.

"Sounds like a typical bank robbery," Robin informed his team over his com-link. "Just some idiot who thinks that with a couple friends and a lazar he can get rich in a couple minutes."

"But he'd be wrong!" Beastboy exclaimed. Robin smiled slightly at the younger hero's comment.

"So it isn't someone we've dealt with before?" Cyborg asked.

"Doesn't seem like it," Robin replied. "We'll see in a couple minutes." Suddenly, a large bus roared onto the road in front of the Titans, screams echoing from the windows. As both the motorcycle and the car screeched to a stop, the bus zoomed across the street and around the corner. The teens glanced at each other.

"You guys handle the bus, I've got the bank," Robin announced before revving his motorcycle and continuing down the street. The other four Titans took off after the bus. A few blocks later, they drew up alongside the bus. The driver waved frantically at them, then yelled,

"The brakes cut out!"

"Raven," Cyborg started. He didn't need to finish his sentence as she disappeared into black energy, then reappeared levitating above the bus.

"Azarath metrion zinthos!" she chanted, her cloak billowing out behind her as her hands glowed with the same black energy she'd disappeared into earlier. The bus began glowing as well, and it rapidly decelerated to a stop. The t-car stopped in front of the bus, and the remaining three Titans hopped out. Cyborg helped to brace the bus in place, while Beastboy and Starfire rushed to the doors. Starfire pulled off the door to allow people to exit, while Beastboy did the same thing with the back door. A few seconds later, the bus was empty. Raven waved her hand again, and the road buckled to prevent the bus from continuing to move.

"I'll wait for the police, you guys head for the bank," Cyborg suggested. Starfire and Raven both took off, but Beastboy paused to regard his friend.

"Why?" he asked. Cyborg rolled his eyes.

"Can't fly, you'll get there faster," Cyborg explained. "So I might as well make the police happy." Beastboy smiled.

"Okay dude," Beastboy agreed. "See you later!" Then he turned into a bird and flew after his female team mates. The three arrived outside the bank as a couple of people ran out of the entrance to the police line. Starfire landed first, next to one of the officers.

"Where is Robin?" she demanded. The officer turned to look at her.

"Inside, defusing a hostage situation," he explained. "Just one kid left inside now." He gestured to the group of people who'd just exited. Starfire nodded, starting forward with Beastboy and Raven.

"Don't!" a woman, one of the former hostages yelled. The three team mates turned to look at her. "Don't go in there, he had a bomb!" Starfire and Beastboy looked at each other, then sprinted forward, Raven hovering at their heels.

Suddenly, the front of the building exploded, throwing all three over backwards. Starfire was the first to sit back up, and she looked at the flaming building.

"Robin!"

-#-

The four Titans stood in the medical wing of Titan Tower. On the other side of a sliding door was a single unconscious form, upon whom the eyes of all four rested.

"Will he be okay?" Starfire asked, turning to face Cyborg along with the rest of the team.

"I think so," Cyborg said, nodding. "That cape of his seems to be flame resistant or something, it protected him from most of the blast." The four glanced back at Robin, whose head started to drift to a side. They hurried into the room.

"Robin?" Starfire asked tentatively.

"Mm," Robin groaned, lifting one hand and resting it on his head. "What happened?"

"Dude, you nearly got yourself blown up!"Beastboy exclaimed.

"What?" Robin muttered, taking his hand off his head and looking over at the other four. Immediately, his expression knit with confusion. "What's going on?"

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Cyborg replied. This didn't seem to appease Robin, who started to push himself upright.

"Robin, you should lie down," Raven pointed out in her usual dead pan.

"Who are you?" Robin asked, edging away to the other side of the bed and starting to get up.

"Robin man, you need to lie down!" Cyborg exclaimed, reaching out to grab Robin's arm.

"Leave me alone!" Robin exclaimed, standing up, wincing, and backing to the other side of the room.

"Robin…"

"Who are you? Where am I?" Robin demanded.

"You're back in Titan Tower," Beastboy said. "You're fine now."

"We are your friends," Starfire continued. "Please calm down."

"I don't know you," Robin countered. "How did I get here?"

"Robin, you got hurt, you need to lie down," Cyborg replied, edging cautiously towards him. Robin immediately withdrew further into the corner, clutching his side as he went. "Come on, you must have hit your head, in the explosion. Just calm down!"

"What explosion?" Robin asked skeptically.

"There was a bank robbery, you nearly got yourself blown up defending a kid from the lunatic who was robbing the bank's bomb," Beastboy explained.

"Yeah, sure," Robin replied. "Like Batman would ever let me do that by myself. Now where am I?" The four other Titans glanced at each other, all more than a little surprised to hear Robin utter his mentor's name.

"You're in Jump, just like you always are," Beastboy offered. Robin paused for a second, considering the statement.

"Okay, I'll take the bait, where the heck is Jump?" The four Titans exchanged a worried look.

"Robin, we **live** in Jump," Cyborg informed him. Robin laughed slightly.

"Yeah right, I've barely left Gotham for years," he informed them, glancing out the window. "Who put you up to this?"

"Robin, we're your team mates!" Starfire protested, but Raven put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"How old are you?" she asked. Robin immediately looked confused, then frowned.

"Yeah, like I'm going to tell you that. So you're trying to figure out my secret identity now?" Starfire, Beastboy, and Cyborg started to protest, but Raven wasn't fazed.

"How long have you been Robin?" she tried. Upon being met with another glare, she rolled her eyes. "Couldn't we figure that out by ourselves?" Robin frowned slightly, but nodded.

"Fine. I've been Robin for five years." Raven raised one eyebrow ever so slightly.

"So you're fourteen?" Robin's expression remained carefully neutral.

"I don't know," he replied. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm younger, maybe I'm older…"

"Robin, we know how old you are because you're our friend!" Starfire exclaimed.

"And you're seventeen, not fourteen," Beastboy agreed.

"See, you figured that out by yourselves, so why bother keeping me here?" Robin suggested. Raven beckoned the other Titans out of room. As soon as the door closed, she turned to face them.

"Robin thinks he's fourteen," she announced.

"Didn't he just say he's seventeen?" Beastboy asked, frowning in confusion.

"Of course he did, he doesn't trust us," Raven explained.

"Why does friend Robin not trust us?" Starfire asked.

"Because he thinks he's fourteen," Cyborg groaned, catching onto Raven's train of thought. "So he doesn't know us yet." The Titans turned to watch as Robin scanned the window for weak spots, and then turned to stare at the air duct.

"So what do we do now?" Beastboy asked. "We've got to convince him we're his friends!"

"You figure out how to do that, I'll keep him calm enough to avoid injury," Raven observed, returning to the room.


	2. It's the Titans calling!

**A/N: So I innitially intended this to be a much more serious story than it's turning out to be, so if you're reading this hoping for something really serious, you may wish to reconsider...**

Raven walked back into the infirmary. Robin spun to face her from under the vent.

"You aren't getting out the vent," Raven informed him. "You fixed it yourself." Robin rolled his eyes.

"Sure," he agreed. "So you're saying that you're my friends, and yet you won't let me out of here."

"You'll hurt yourself further," Raven countered. Robin raised his eyebrow. Raven sighed. "Look, I'll stay over here at the door; will you at least sit down?"

"Fine," Robin conceded, sitting down on the bed, carefully watching Raven. Then he began checking the devices on his belt. A few seconds later, he pulled out his yellow circular communicator. "What's this? Where'd my communicator go?"

"Robin, that is your communicator," Raven assured him, her tone slightly annoyed, only to be met with another glare.

-#-

Cyborg, Beastboy and Starfire walked quickly to Robin's room. As soon as they were inside, Starfire started to the bedside table, Cyborg headed to the closet and Beastboy to the desk.

"What're we looking for again?" Beastboy asked, fumbling through a stack of papers.

"We need something he can't explain away," Cyborg called from the closet.

"His evidence stacks?" Beastboy suggested.

"What about a picture?" Starfire asked.

"Photoshop," Cyborg replied. "And somehow I don't think the evidence will work."

"So what do we do?" Starfire asked as she stopped her searching. Cyborg and Beastboy stopped too. Suddenly, Beastboy smiled.

"We need to call Batman," he declared. Starfire and Cyborg both widened their eyes.

"You want to do what?"

"Think about it," Beastboy commanded. "He doesn't trust us, right? Because he still thinks he works with Batman. So who would he trust? Batman!" Cyborg and Starfire looked at each other.

"How do we contact Batman then?" Cyborg asked.

"Uh…" Beastboy started looking through Robin's desk again. When he pulled at the bottom door, it didn't open. "I bet we'll find something in here." Beastboy turned into a gorilla and wrenched open the drawer.

"Very climactic," Cyborg remarked, looking into the empty drawer.

"Why lock an empty drawer?" Beastboy asked, back in human form.

"Could he hide something in the drawer?" Starfire suggested, picking up the drawer and flipping it upside down and shaking it. When that didn't work, she turned it over again and stared into the drawer.

"Maybe it's in the slot," Beastboy suggested, getting down on his hands and knees and staring into the opening. "Nope." Cyborg took the drawer, and pulled the paper off the bottom.

"Nothing under the paper either," he groaned. Starfire seized the paper from him, showing both of them the underside. On it were two sets of numbers.

"Why are there two numbers?" Cyborg asked, taking the paper and looking it over.

"Let's call and find out," Beastboy suggested, walking out of the room. Starfire and Cyborg followed.

-#-

"Don't stand up," Raven ordered as Robin started to swing his legs off the bed.

"Why not?" Robin asked, stopping but crossing his arms.

"We can both agree that you were injured," Raven countered. "And that you're aggravating it when you move."

"Who says…?"

"Just stay there," Raven growled, usually enough to force anyone to listen to her.

"No thank you," Robin replied, pushing himself back to his feet. "I'm going to be over at the window." He started to move, only to be pushed back into the bed by a black energy field.

"Don't hurt yourself just to be stubborn," Raven said she lowered her hand.

"Fine," Robin snapped.

-#-

Starfire, Cyborg, and Beastboy stood around the telephone in the main room.

"That's it, we're calling him," Cyborg declared, picking up the phone and dialing the first number as Starfire and Beastboy watched apprehensively.

"Hello?" a man with a stiff British accent answered. Cyborg's eyes widened.

"Um…hi," he replied, looking at Starfire and Beastboy, a panicked expression on his face.

"Who is this?" the British man asked. Cyborg frowned, mouthing "It's not Batman." Starfire and Beastboy both shrugged.

"Must be a wrong number, sorry," Cyborg declared, and hung up. "What was that?"

"What happened?" Beastboy asked.

"It was some British guy!" Cyborg exclaimed. "Did Robin hide these just to throw anyone who found them off the trail of whatever it was he was hiding?" Starfire and Beastboy frowned. "I wouldn't have suggested it before, but Robin's starting to look a lot more paranoid than I thought he was."

"Let us try the other number," Starfire offered. "Perhaps the first was miscopied."

"But I'm not going to be talking all by myself again," Cyborg informed them.

"We can use the speaker phone so we can bail you out if it's necessary," Beastboy announced.

"Sounds good," Cyborg agreed, picking up the phone again. "Wait, what if we get some other random person?"

"We say we're the Titans and see how they react," Beastboy said. Cyborg and Starfire shrugged, and Cyborg started dialing. After two rings, someone picked up.

"Who is this?" a female voice asked. The three Titans exchanged a look. Diffidently not Batman, but she seemed forward enough…

"Um, I'm Cyborg…"

"What kind of a name is Cyborg?" the girl asked.

"Well, I'm a cyborg…"

"You're…Roy, if that's you, I swear I'm going to start blocking your calls," the voice snapped.

"Um, who's Roy?" Cyborg asked, looking over at Starfire and Beastboy in confusion.

"I mean it; this had better not be a prank call."

"It's not," Beastboy exclaimed. "His name's Cyborg, I'm Beastboy, and we're the Teen Titans. We need your help because…"

"I can't help you, please don't call me again," the voice requested, then the dial tone sounded. Cyborg, Starfire and Beastboy looked at each other.

"Is that the kind of reaction we were going for?" Beastboy asked.

"Mysterious enough," Cyborg decided, dialing again. As soon as the girl picked up, Cyborg started talking.

"We seriously need your help," Cyborg declared. "We…"

"Listen, I don't do that anymore," she snapped. "Tell Batman to stop getting people to call me." And she hung up again.

"Perhaps we should call the first number again?" Starfire suggested.

"No way, she knows Batman!" Beastboy exclaimed. "Let me try!" He snatched up the phone, and once more dialed the second number.

"Hello," the voice seemed more exasperated than last time.

"Hi," Beastboy offered. The only response he got was the dial tone. "Well now what?"

"We call again," Cyborg said. "And someone she hasn't heard yet talks." He glanced over at Starfire and smiled. Starfire looked slightly nervous, but took the phone.

"Block the number too!" Beastboy yelled, seizing the phone and pressing three buttons before handing it back to Starfire. As she began calling, Cyborg looked at Beastboy.

"How'd you know that one?" he asked.

"Uh, prank calls…" Beastboy admitted. Starfire shushed them both as the phone began to ring.

"Hi," snapped the voice.

"Hello," Starfire replied tentatively. Both Cyborg and Beastboy started mouthing "go, go!" "Um…"

"Please tell me this isn't the Titans calling again," she snapped exasperatedly. "Leave me…"

"Robinhasamnesia!" Starfire blurted.

"…Alone. Wait, what?" Her voice had lost most of its annoyance.

"Robin has amnesia," Starfire repeated.

"What happened?" Her tone shifted to slightly worried.

"Explosion," Cyborg supplied. "Why do you keep…?"

"How?" Any doubt about the worry in her voice could be thrown out, but at least she wasn't mad anymore.

"Syco bank robber," Beastboy offered. The girl sighed exasperatedly at the word syco.

"So you decided the best help you could get was someone who hasn't talked to him for a couple years?" The Titans looked at each other.

"He can't remember the last three years anyway," Beastboy replied. Cyborg and Starfire glared at him. "I mean…we don't have any idea of who you are anyway?" Cyborg slapped Beastboy upside the head. "Hey!"

"Sorry BB, but Raven's busy," Cyborg explained.

"So why the heck have you called me **three** times after I hung up on you?"

"He can't remember us, so we need someone he knew three years ago," Cyborg explained. "We found two numbers, yours and some British guy's." She sighed again.

"Call Kid Flash or Speedy," she offered. "They're Titans too, right?"

"Kid Flash or Speedy?" Beastboy parroted. "They knew Robin three years ago?"

"Yes," she announced. "And they're still involved with this stuff. Good luck." Then she hung up again.


	3. Speedy

Robin and Raven were still sitting in the infirmary, Robin glaring suspiciously at Raven, and Raven looking slightly annoyed.

"We've got something!" Beastboy exclaimed, rushing into the room. Robin was on his feet in an instant, and half a second later Beastboy was sprawled on the floor, and Robin sprinted for the door. Raven leapt in front of him, blocking his path with a wall of black energy. Robin considered the wall.

"Back. In. Bed," Raven snarled.

"Let. Me. Go," Robin countered. Suddenly, he winced, clutching his side and nearly falling over.

"Robin!" Beastboy exclaimed, jumping to his feet and rushing to Robin. Raven dropped her shield as well, and they both helped him back onto the bed.

"I told you to lie down," Raven said once Robin was back on the bed.

"Thanks," Robin replied hesitantly.

"Anyway," Beastboy started. "We're going to call Kid Flash…"

"Kid Flash?" Robin asked skeptically. "Why Kid Flash?"

"Just hang on," Beastboy said, pulling out his communicator. He fumbled with it for a second, smiled over at Raven and Robin, then whispered into the communicator. "Cy, where's Kid Flash?"

"He's busy," Cyborg's voice came through the communicator. "Apparently the he's really, really in the middle of something." Robin chuckled slightly.

"You're trying to trick me, right?" he asked. Raven glared at Beastboy.

"I'll fix this," he assured her, turning to leave the room. "Oh, and we aren't lying, I swear!"

-#-

"Okay, how about we actually get Speedy on the communicator before we tell Robin," Beastboy insisted as he walked back into the main room. On the main screen was a masked teen.

"So Robin has amnesia?" Speedy asked. "Like really? Because Kid Flash and I used to try to convince him he had amnesia." Cyborg frowned.

"Which is probably why we can't," he snapped.

"And why I won't help much," Speedy agreed.

"But he won't listen to us," Starfire protested. "He still knows you and…"

"Then he knows how funny I'd find it to try to convince him he had amnesia," Speedy explained. "Right now, he's probably got two scenarios running through his mind. One is that your working for some criminal like Joker, and the other is that Kid Flash and I are playing a prank on him. So I can convince him you're not criminals, but…"

"Well then who will Robin believe?" Beastboy whined. "Before Robin beats me up again." Speedy laughed.

"Very nice Beastboy," he commented. "By the way, how have you managed to keep Robin contained so far?"

"Raven," Cyborg explained. Speedy nodded.

"Well, there's always Batman, but I think the Justice League's off planet, so I can think of one person you want to talk to," Speedy reasoned, and he picked up the phone. "But, for the record, I'm not here." The phone rang twice.

"Hey," a very familiar female voice answered.

"Hello," Starfire said brightly.

"You guys again?" Speedy cocked his head to the side as he looked at Cyborg, Starfire, and Beastboy. "What happened with Kid Flash and Speedy?"

"Couldn't reach Kid Flash, and Speedy said…" Cyborg trailed off as Speedy frantically waved his hands back and forth across his neck.

"**Speedy**," she snarled. "I swear you're worse than **he** is!"

"We both know Robin'll just think I'm trying to mess with him," Speedy implored her. "Come on, you know you want to."

"No, I really don't," she snapped, "Because I don't **do** this anymore. But…" She sighed. "I'll help. I'll be there soon, Speedy, at least convince him they aren't criminals, will you?" She hung up again.

"Well, bring in Robin," Speedy said.

"Who exactly did we just talk to?" Cyborg demanded.

"Ex-girlfriend," Speedy declared after a second's hesitation. Starfire's eyes narrowed.

"Um, I'll get Robin," Beastboy decided.

-#-

Beastboy and Raven walked into the main room, Robin limping along behind them.

"Hey Robin!" Speedy exclaimed. Robin raised his eyebrows.

"Speedy?" he confirmed before beginning to look slightly suspicious again. "What did we do last week?" Speedy frowned.

"Um, your last week was about three years ago, so you might want to be a little more specific," Speedy remarked.

"I think you'd remember…"

"Please tell me you aren't talking about truth or dare," Speedy requested. "Because I tend to try very hard not to think about that for fear Batman will punish me again." Robin laughed.

"I'll admit I'm happy to know this isn't some crazy plot by the Joker," he admitted. "But you know I'm not going to believe you, seeing as you already tried this."

"Admit that was funny," Speedy protested.

"Mildly," Robin conceded. "But it's getting really, really old."

"We aren't lying!" Beastboy protested.

"We really aren't," Speedy agreed. "But don't worry; irrefutable proof is on the way over."

-#-

The five Titans were sitting on the couch in the main room, Robin slightly away from the rest of them.

"So we've been a team for how long?" Robin asked, a note of skepticism still present in his voice, but less so than before his conversation with Speedy.

"Two years," Cyborg repeated, the rest of the Titans watching him apprehensively.

"And I've forgotten three years," Robin continued.

"Assuming you think you're fourteen," Beastboy agreed.

"How'd I forget three years?" Robin demanded, slumping his head into his hands.

"It's okay friend Robin," Starfire offered, scooting closer to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. Robin looked up to regard her slightly cautiously.

"Thanks…" he trailed off uncertainly.

"Starfire," Starfire supplied mildly dejectedly. Robin frowned.

"I'm sorry," he offered. "For what it's worth."

"Don't worry dude, there's probably some stuff its better you forgot," Beastboy suggested. Raven, Starfire, Cyborg and Robin all glared at him, Raven smacking the back of his head.

"All of it involving Beastboy," Cyborg added. Robin smiled slightly.

"So you believe us now?" Raven asked. Robin shrugged.

"Speedy might think it's funny to make me think I'd forgotten a day in which we'd thrown a party, gotten in mounds of trouble and… other things," he explained. "But this would just be mean."

"Hey, it's retrograde amnesia," Cyborg said. "You just hit your head really hard. You'll probably remember everything by the end of the week."

"Yay, I only have no idea what's going on for a week!" Robin replied sarcastically. The four Titans looked at each other. "Sorry, that wasn't fair."

"You are feeling unwell," Starfire brushed the apology aside. "It is alright if you act distraught." Robin sighed, returning his head to his hands.

"So what 'irrevocable proof' is Speedy sending over?" he asked, his tone slightly light.

"Some girl," Beastboy offered. Robin's eyes furrowed slightly. "We've only talked to her on the phone."

"The only…" The door slid open, revealing a girl in her late teens or early twenties. She wore black converse, dark jeans, a camouflage patterned black and grey t-shirt, and a black mask over her eyes that tied at the back of her head over her long red hair, which hung loosely around her shoulders.

"Hello," she offered. Robin's face lit up.

"Babs!" he exclaimed, jumped to his feet, and ran to hug her. Starfire scowled, while Cyborg and Beastboy looked at each other skeptically, and Raven raised one eyebrow. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."


	4. The Reason

The girl initially seemed surprised by Robin's hug, but then wrapped her arms around him as well. Once they released each other, she smiled.

"That's because I've never had amnesia, Boy Wonder," she told him. Robin chuckled.

"So you're Roy's 'irrevocable proof'?" he confirmed.

"Not the way I'd put it."

"Me either," Robin replied, shrugging.

"Speedy," they both agreed. The other four Titans watched the newcomer cautiously, a little worried that she seemed to connect with their friend in a way they currently couldn't.

"Hello," Cyborg offered finally. She turned to face him, smiling slightly.

"Hi Cyborg," she replied. Immediately, Cyborg's eyes widened, Beastboy blinked rapidly, edging backwards slightly, Starfire frowned, and Raven raised an eyebrow.

"How'd you know that?" Cyborg asked cautiously. The girl looked slightly bemused.

"I recognized your voice from the phone?" she suggested. "Or you told me that you were a cyborg. Take your pick." The Titans relaxed. Robin glanced back and forth between the girl and the Titans, a confused expression on his face.

"You guys don't know each other?" he asked.

"Not at all," Starfire pronounced almost lightly enough to hide the animosity in the statement. The girl shook her head.

"Why not?"

"Probably because you broke up," Beastboy explained, slightly annoyed. Upon seeing the look of total confusion on Robin's face, he continued. "Which you might **really** not know because you don't remember being together…"

"I'm going to kill him," the girl muttered under her breath as Robin rounded on her, looking more than a little surprised. "No. That did **not** happen."

"It didn't?" Robin asked. The Titans exchanged a look at the slight tone of disappointment that underlaid their leader's voice.

"No, but I'm going to kill Speedy later," she announced, smiling in an annoyed way. Beastboy ginned.

"So you don't have a secret ex-girlfriend?" he exclaimed excitedly. "Sweet, I knew you'd tell us something like that!"

"So who are you?" Starfire asked.

"I'm…"

"She's Batgirl," Robin declared. The Titans glanced at each other, and Batgirl frowned slightly.

"Like Batman, Batgirl," Cyborg confirmed.

"Sure," Batgirl replied, less than enthusiastically.

"You two used to work together?" Raven asked. Robin started to protest but caught himself.

"Yeah, I guess so," he said, looking to Batgirl for agreement. She nodded.

"So you know Batman too?" Beastboy exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes," Batgirl replied tersely.

"That's so cool!" Beastboy exclaimed. "Can we meet him? Please? That would be awesome!"

"You've never met Batman?" Robin demanded. "Why wouldn't you know Batman?"

"You don't really talk about your past," Cyborg explained.

"Why not?"

"If you don't tell us about your past, why would we know why you don't talk about it?" Raven pointed out. Robin considered this for half a second, then turned to Batgirl.

"What aren't you telling me?" he asked suspiciously.

"You and Batman had a falling out," she answered after a second's hesitation.

"What?" he exclaimed. "Why?" Batgirl sighed, regarding him for a second.

"Robin, do we really need to drag this back up?" she asked.

"What happened?" Robin repeated determinedly. The four Titans looked at each other, starting to suspect that brining up Robin's past wasn't the best idea.

"Robin…" Batgirl tried to appease him, but he continued to glare. "Fine. You nearly got killed, Batman wanted you to stop being Robin, and we haven't spoken since. Happy now?" Robin stopped, his eyes wide. Cyborg, Starfire, and Beastboy all looked worried, and Raven raised both her eyebrows. Batgirl just seemed frustrated.

"Why haven't **we** talked?" Robin asked finally, his tone suspicious. Batgirl laughed hollowly.

"Oh, I'm sure it's all **my** fault," she replied sarcastically.

"That's…" Robin started to snap, then clapped his hands over his head. "Ow!"

"Are you alright?" Starfire asked. Robin collapsed onto the ground. "Robin!" Batgirl dropped to her knees next to him, rolling him onto his back and checking his pulse.

"He'll be fine," she said, pushing herself back to her feet as the Titans rushed forward. She stepped backwards so she was out of their way. "Heck, he'll probably remember everything when he wakes up. Just do me a favor, and call the British guy if he doesn't."

"The British guy?" Cyborg asked, looking back over his shoulder to confirm, but she was already gone.

"What was that?" Beastboy asked.

"Let's just get Robin to the infirmary," Cyborg announced.

-#-

"Batman fired Robin?" Beastboy asked as soon as they'd put Robin in the infirmary. "And why doesn't Batgirl want us calling her?"

"Beastboy," Raven snarled. "Robin didn't want us to know any of this. Now we know why. So let's leave it alone."

"But…" Robin started to stir, and they rushed into infirmary. Starfire got there first.

"Robin?" she asked timidly.

"Hey Star," he offered weakly. She grinned.

"How are you feeling?" Cyborg asked.

"Like I got blown up," he replied. "What did you expect?"

"You're making jokes?" Beastboy observed, clearly confused.

"I'm allowed to joke," Robin replied, pushing himself into a sitting position. "How long was I out?"

"What do you remember?" Raven inquired calmly.

"Bank robbery, bomb, protecting the kid, explosion…" he listed. "Why?"

"Just worried you might have hit your head," Cyborg explained confidently, after exchanging a look with the other Titans.

"Well I certainly hit my head," Robin agreed. "But I think I'm okay."

"We are most overjoyed that you are alright!" Starfire exclaimed, excited now that the situation had been resolved. ""I will prepare a celebratory feast!"

"Let's get pizza!" Cyborg declared immediately, accompanied by the frantic nodding of Beastboy.

-#-

Batgirl settled onto the end of a dock, taking a deep breath. After taking a second to compose herself, she pushed herself back to her feet, and glanced at the giant T across the bay. She's known she shouldn't have come. There was a reason she hadn't talked to him for two years.

She turned back around, and smiled slightly. She still owed Roy one for telling the Titans she was Robin's ex. Maybe she could make **one** stop on the way back from Gotham. However, she found a dark figure standing at the end of the dock behind her.

"Hello," he offered in a low masculine voice. "Who might you be?"


	5. Mostly Back to Normal

The five Titans were hanging around in the main room of Titan Tower. It had been several days since Robin had woken up, and things had virtually returned to normal. Beastboy and Cyborg were on the couch fighting over what to watch on TV, Robin was wedged between them, throwing in his opinion upon occasion, but mostly just watching them bicker with a slightly amused expression. Raven sat in the corner meditating, and Starfire was cooking something (who knows what) in the kitchen. Suddenly, in the course of their channel flipping, they stumbled across the nature channel.

"Bats, the only flying mammal, are nocturnal creatures…" the calm voice narrated as video of bats swooping out of a cave played. Beastboy changed the channel, looking nervously at Robin along with Cyborg. Starfire dropped a bowl, making a crashing noise, and glanced at the couch. Even Raven opened her eyes to glare at Beastboy.

"Guys, what happened?" Robin asked, looking at his team suspiciously.

"Nothing Robin," Cyborg brushed him off. Robin rolled his eyes.

"You guys have been acting weird since that explosion," Robin informed them.

"We aren't acting weird, I was just worried you might have wanted to watch the nature channel," Beastboy countered.

"Which isn't weird at all," Robin replied. Then his eyes scrunched suspiciously. "That didn't…did I wake up before a few days ago?" Beastboy and Cyborg exchanged a glance around him, Raven continued to glare, and Starfire looked on nervously from the kitchen. Robin took their silence for a yes, and leaned back against the couch, closing his eyes.

"That actually happened?" he asked. "I talked to Speedy and… Babs was here? Oh crap…"

"Are you alright?" Starfire asked cautiously, starting back out of the kitchen.

"Why didn't you guys just tell me?" Robin asked, a touch of exasperation in his voice.

"We were worried about dragging it back up," Beastboy explained. "I mean, it doesn't seem like you ever wanted us to know."

"No, it's not that," Robin explained, sitting back up and looking at his friends. "I…I was just so angry when I first got here, then I sort of… well, it was ancient history, so why bother depressing you all with it?" The four exchanged a look, and Starfire and Raven joined their male team mates on the couch.

"Don't worry about it," Cyborg announced.

"I believe we should initiate a group hug," Starfire suggested, holding out both her arms. Robin smiled as Beastboy and Cyborg pulled him into the hug, Beastboy dragging a reluctant Raven along with him.

"Yay," she muttered. The rest of the Titans laughed.

"Thanks guys," Robin offered. Suddenly, the TV screen was occupied by an elderly man in a tuxedo.

"Hello," the man said in a familiar British accent.

"AHHHHH," Beastboy screamed, breaking up the hug. "It's the British guy!" Robin looked from Beastboy to the man on the screen.

"You know Alfred?"

"We called him," Cyborg explained.

"And hung up most rudely," Alfred agreed disapprovingly.

"When did you call Alfred?" Robin asked.

"When you had amnesia," Raven dead-panned. Robin nodded. Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"Have you had any contact with Ms. B-"

"Batgirl was here a few days ago," Robin cut him off. Alfred frowned disapprovingly at being cut off.

"Where did she go after that?" he inquired.

"Alfred, what's wrong?" Robin asked suspiciously. Beastboy looked at him confusedly, not recognizing the slight change in Alfred's tone.

"We haven't heard from Ms. Batgirl since," Alfred explained.

"It took you five days to figure out she was missing?" Robin asked. Alfred simply raised one eyebrow. "Batman's off-planet?"

"Why's he off planet?" Beastboy asked. Raven slapped him upside the head.

"Can you please look around for her?" Alfred requested.

"Of course," Robin agreed. Alfred nodded, and he disappeared from the screen.

"Should we go look for her?" Cyborg asked.

"Where'd she go after she left?" Robin demanded.

"She just…disappeared," Beastboy said. "It was kind of creepy."

-#-

Batgirl leapt to her feet as the door opened, ready to face the now familiar black and orange masked figure.

"Hello again," he drawled. "How are you?"

"What," she snapped.

"Want to tell me who you are now?" he drawled.

"Who are you?" she countered. He frowned.

"If I tell you, will you tell me?" he asked.

"Sure," she agreed sarcastically.

"My name's Slade," the guy offered. Batgirl paused, surprised to have actually gotten information out of him. "Now it's your turn."

"I'm nobody," she replied. Slade frowned, at least to the extent Batman would ever frown. "I wasn't lying earlier, I'm really no one."

"Then what's with the mask?" Slade requested.

"Haven't heard of a costume party?"

"You were at Titan Tower."

"Very good," Batgirl agreed. "I'm a big fan." Slade slapped her across the face, knocking her over backwards onto the ground.

"You'll tell me eventually," he informed her. "I'm patient."

"Look, if I actually was anyone important, don't you think someone would have noticed I was gone?" Batgirl snapped, clutching her already bruised face. Slade regarded her for a minute, then pulled something out from behind him and tossed down next to her. It was a plastic lunch baggy, containing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Have some lunch," he advised, then he walked back out.


	6. You don't know

Robin was on his motorcycle, zooming through the streets of Jump City. A beeping light on the side of his helmet notified him of an incoming communication. He tapped the side of his helmet to pick up.

"Find her?" he asked.

"No," Cyborg replied. "How do we even know where she'd go?"

"I don't think she went anywhere," Robin found himself explaining for the fourth or fifth time. "She wouldn't just disappear for a week, someone probably took her."

"But she just disappeared back at the tower, and she seemed pretty mad," Beastboy countered. "Maybe…"

"She wouldn't freak her dad out like this," Robin protested. Suddenly, a gasping noise was heard over the com.

"Wait, is Batgirl Batman's daughter?" Beastboy half yelled, half squealed. Robin groaned.

"No. Meet you guys back at the tower."

-#-

Batgirl heard footsteps approaching, and immediately sat back down in the corner, bringing her knees up to her face and clutching them to her. The door opened and Slade walked into the room.

"Hello," he offered. She didn't respond, staring at her knees. "Would you like to start your training?" Batgirl looked up at him.

"What?" she asked.

"Your training," Slade repeated calmly. "You'll need to learn to be my apprentice." Batgirl looked up at him, an amused expression on her face.

"Why would I be your apprentice?" she asked.

"You keep saying you're nobody," Slade purred. "Wouldn't you like to be somebody?" Batgirl chuckled hollowly at how off he was.

"Why would you want an apprentice anyway?" Slade paused for a second.

"We'll start this afternoon."

-#-

Cyborg and Beastboy walked into the main room of Titan tower. Starfire and Raven were still flying around Jump looking for Batgirl, and Robin was standing in the middle of the room, staring at the screen, upon which Speedy's face appeared.

"Hey Robin, feeling better?" he asked.

"No, have you seen Batgirl?" Robin replied quickly.

"Why would I have?"

"Because she was mad at you and I was wondering if she made it over…"

"Oh, because I told everyone she was your ex-girlfriend?" Speedy asked a smile on his face. Robin glared momentarily, then continued.

"So she didn't make it over there?"

"What happened?"

"She's gone," Robin explained.

"What?" Speedy asked. "Why?"

"I don't know, can you think of anyone who has a grudge against Batgirl?" Speedy's expression changed.

"You don't know," he observed.

"What don't we know now?" Beastboy whined. Cyborg glared at him as Robin glanced over his shoulder to face them.

"We can leave if you want," Cyborg offered. Robin shook his head, beckoning them over next to him.

"What don't we know Speedy?" he asked. Speedy rubbed his hair nervously, then sighed.

"Um…she quit," he offered feebly. Robin tilted his head to the side. "Said the she wasn't needed anymore, and quit. Hasn't been Batgirl for months."

"What?" Robin exclaimed. "She isn't Batgirl anymore?" Speedy nodded. Cyborg and Beastboy looked at each other.

"So someone kidnapped an ex-superhero in a city where no one knows who she is?" Beastboy asked.

"She wasn't in costume either," Robin observed.

"Who'd do that?" Cyborg asked. Robin froze.

"Slade."

-#-

Batgirl stood against the edge of the room, watching the door. Finally, it opened, and Slade walked in.

"Ready?" Slade offered.

"No," she replied. "Why don't you teach someone who knows what they're doing?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Slade replied, throwing a punch at her.

"Ah!" she screamed, diving out of the way. Slade turned to face her, his body stance alerting her to his amusement. She inwardly growled that he was enjoying this.

"Come now, you won't learn by avoiding the topic," Slade purred, taking a ready stance. "I'll let you attack first." Batgirl cautiously climbed back to her feet.

"You'll go easy on me?" she suggested. Slade continued to stare at her, so she nodded. "Okay then." She paused, then threw a punch at his head. Slade caught it easily, twisting her arm behind her and shoving her into a wall.

"Beginner's mistake," Slade informed her. "Don't make it again." He released her, allowing her to fall to the ground in a heap as he walked out the door. Batgirl pushed herself back to her feet, glaring after him.

-#-

"Where are you going?" Cyborg demanded over the commlink from the driver's seat of the t-car. In front of him, Robin zoomed through the streets on his motorcycle.

"Last time Slade was in the pier district," Robin explained. "I called Star and Raven, they'll meet us there."

"Shouldn't we research first?" Beastboy suggested from the passenger seat.

"No time," Robin replied.

"But…"

"Beastboy, if Slade had kidnapped you and held you for a week, would you want us doing research first?"

"Step on it Cy," Beastboy recommended after considering the point for a second.

-#-

"What's your problem?" Batgirl asked when Slade reentered the room.

"I can't see any problem," he replied, taking a ready stance. "Your move again."

"You know you're really an idiot," she informed him, staying casually against the wall. Slade's expression contorted slightly. "Yeah, an idiot. You kidnap someone who has no idea what they're doing, to make them your apprentice against their will. First, all I'm ever going to do is screw up your plans by bungling things because I don't know what I'm doing. Second, you're teaching me the skills I need to beat you up later. Has this formula ever managed to work for you?"

"I don't see why you're so angry that I'm trying to help you," Slade replied, his voice slightly less calm than usual.

"Just pointing out the total stupidity of your system," Batgirl replied, more than a little smugly. Slade stared at her for a minute. Suddenly, his eye narrowed, and he swung his first at her face. However, the instant before it hit, Batgirl snatched it out of the air. She grinned.

"I may have lied," she explained, yanking on his arm, and sending him crashing into the wall with his earlier momentum. Then she sprinted out of the room. Slade leapt back to his feet and ran after her.


	7. Escaping

The five Titans had gathered in the middle of the pier district. Raven sat cross legged in mid air, meditating. Her eyes popped open.

"That way," she said, pointing towards the water. "Second warehouse from the water, two people inside, one's diffidently Slade." Robin revved his motorcycle and sped off, Starfire following in the air with Beastboy, who turned into a bird. Raven disappeared into black bird of energy.

"Wait for me!" Cyborg exclaimed, starting the t-car and following.

-#-

Batgirl pressed herself against the wall. She heard Slade run into the room somewhere on her right. She glanced back up, confirming that she was in a large warehouse. She smiled as she heard Slade walking around looking for her. She crept across the aisle and pushed herself up onto the nearest crate, scrambling up above eye level as Slade entered the row. She leaned back against the crate, breathing as little as possible as he walked by. Then there was a crash.

"Slade!" Robin yelled from somewhere on her left. If it wouldn't have given her away, she might have sighed. Of course someone would come to rescue her in the middle of escaping. Slade paused right below her. "Slade, we know you're here!"

"Let's turn on the lights!" Beastboy's now unfortunately familiar voice suggested. _IDIOT!_ Dim lights flickered to life, illuminating the warehouse in patches. Fortunately, Slade was looking the other direction. She decided to press her advantage, and leapt at him. She made contact, knocking both of them to the ground.

-#-

"Beastboy, why'd you turn the lights on?" Robin whispered viciously.

"We need to see Slade to find him, right?" Beastboy offered. Robin's glare clearly disagreed.

"Robin, we aren't all as good in the dark as you are," Cyborg backed Beastboy up.

"Batgirl is," Robin hissed. "Split up." The Titans nodded, Cyborg and Beastboy turned to the left, Robin started to the right, and both Starfire and Raven flew up and into the warehouse.

"Here!" Batgirl yelled. Her exclamation was followed by a crash. Robin rushed toward the noise, only to be met with a large stack of crates.

"Slade, please let her go!" Starfire's voice requested from above him.

"Look out!" Batgirl's voice suggested. There was another crash, and the stack of crates tottered, and Robin dove backwards as they fell over.

-#-

Batgirl groaned from among the smashed crates. She took a deep breath, then pushed herself back to her feet. A green bear charged at Slade, only to have him dodge out of the way at the last minute. Next he spun to knock Cyborg off his feet as he attempted to attack from behind. Batgirl wished momentarily for her utility belt before reentering the confrontation.

Slade back-flipped out of the way of a series of bright green blasts from the tall red haired girl, and Batgirl took his momentary distraction by aiming a kick to his shin. He spun out of the way at the last minute, and retaliated with a high kick at her head. Batgirl cart-wheeled out of the way, and Slade smirked slightly at her.

"Lying isn't a good way to start a working relationship you know," he scolded.

"Can't take a hint, can you?" she retorted tersely as she blocked his punch and returned one of her own. However, Slade caught it, twisting her arm uncomfortably.

"I'd reconsider," he advised before twisting her arm further. Batgirl gritted her teeth and tried to kick his side to force him to release her. He did release her arm, but caught her leg and knocked her back to the ground. Batgirl jumped back to her feet as Slade was forced to dodge several crates that were glowing black. Then a familiar brightly colored outline dove down from the rafters, aiming a kick to Slade's head. Slade dodged and countered with a blow to the face. Robin ducked, but was caught by Slade's follow up kick to the legs and knocked over.

"Losing your touch, are you?" Slade taunted.

"Leave him alone!" Starfire yelled, her eyes starting to glow green as she blasted at Slade again. Slade rolled out of the way, and Batgirl dodged the bolts that missed. She'd only just stopped moving when someone seized her gruffly from behind, twisting her already aching arm behind her back and looping their arm around her neck in a choke hold.

"Hello again," Slade hissed into her ear. The five Titans gathered in front of the two of them, Raven's hands glowing black, the Starfire's glowing green, Cyborg held up one of his arms, which appeared to have morphed into a cannon, Beastboy just stood in a ready position, and Robin stood in front, his bo-staff out and held in front of him.

"Let her go Slade," Robin snarled. Slade chuckled slightly, tightening his grip on Batgirl's twisted arm, forcing her to wince.

"That's not where we stand," he purred. "I think you Titans should leave now."

"No way," Cyborg replied.

"I don't know, let's see what she thinks?" Slade answered, glancing down at Batgirl. "Do you think they should leave?" To emphasise her lack of options, he tightened his grip on her arm. Batgirl bowed her head in defeat, bitting her lip. Then she jerked her head back up into him, simultaneously stomping on his foot and throwing her free elbow into Slade's stomach. Slade started to fall backwards, releasing his choke hold but pulling Batgirl's arm with him. Batgirl yelled as she pushed away from him, spinning and delivering a kick to his side, at which point Slade released her arm and fell away from her. She then collapsed forward onto the ground.

** "**Titans, Go!" Robin yelled, charging forward. Starfire blasted at Slade, who was starting to get up, forcing him to retreat further into the warehouse. "Raven, get her out of here!" Raven swooped to the ground next to Batgirl, then consumed both of them in black energy and they vanished. The remaining four Titans charged after Slade. After a few minutes, Slade stopped against the wall of the warehouse, turning to face his pursuers.

"Now what, Slade?" Robin snapped.

"Just curious," Slade asked. "Who is your new friend?"

"Nobody," Robin replied.

"I'm sensing a party line here," Slade purred. "Don't worry, I'll find out." Then smoke filled the hallway. When it cleared, Slade was gone.


End file.
